HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT
BEHAVIOURAL HEALTHCARE The COVID-19 pandemic has brought some muchneeded attention to mental health services in India. Various aspects of behavioural health including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. require considerable attention in today’s scenario. To efficiently meet people’s behavioural healthcare needs, hospitals and government have to be more vigilant in terms of mental healthcare services. R B Smarta, Vice President (HADSA), CMD-Interlink
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n a country like India, where there is no scarcity of human resources, material supplies, and even though infrastructure is getting developed and impacted positively, healthcare still remains a matter of concern. Majority of the Indian population describes good health as a ‘disease-free condition’; mental health is not often prioritised by them. Mostly in rural areas, where there is a minimum access to even primary healthcare services, people prefer Babas and God-men for mental illnesses. Behavioural health, which is not only about mental health, but also consists of several disorders such as inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, defiant behaviour, drug abuse, criminal activity (more are shown in the Figure 1), etc. It is still a very new and upcoming concept in India. Looking at the Indian hospital services for behavioural health, there is a strong need for innovative healthcare programmes to improve the behavioural health services. Moreover, government initiatives toward behavioural healthcare along with some policies facilitating hospitals to offer advanced services is a need of the hour.
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